In 2011, The HSUS joined the United Egg Producers to press for legislation phasing out the egg production using barren battery cages. We summarize this effort and our progress for farm animals in other areas.

The HSUS sent letters from 26,688 members of the public to 388 federally-funded colleges and universities, urging the schools to adopt a formal policy that would protect animals in their laboratories from severe pain and distress.

Just two weeks after filing a complaint with the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding Smithfield Foods’ misleading claims about animal welfare, The Humane Society of the United States filed legal notice with Smithfield – a major pork supplier for McDonald’s — that it will exercise its right as a corporate shareholder to inspect company records regarding Smithfield’s broken promise to stop confining sows in gestation crates on company-owned farms by 2017.

Today, Supreme Court justices considered a case centering on a challenge by a slaughterhouse trade association to provisions of California’s anti-cruelty law relating to abuse of downer livestock. If the court strikes down this law, we may not only see California’s anti-cruelty law gutted, but we may also see anti-horse slaughter laws shot down.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission received a legal complaint today from The Humane Society of the United States alleging that Smithfield Foods — a McDonald’s pork supplier and recipient of McDonald’s “supplier sustainability” award — is making false and misleading claims to shareholders and consumers about its corporate responsibility practices.

Just 24 hours after Smithfield Foods – the world’s largest pork producer – launched its new corporate responsibility website, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has received a legal complaint from The Humane Society of the United States alleging that the company is making false and misleading claims to shareholders and consumers about its corporate responsibility practices in violation of federal securities law.

To advance more humane practices on farms and ranches and to promote food producers who share that goal, The Humane Society of the United States joined the Nebraska Farmers Union in Lincoln to announce the formation of an advisory body, the Nebraska Agriculture Council of The Humane Society of the United States.

The HSUS submitted a shareholder resolution today asking Domino’s Pizza to report to shareholders the feasibility of using pepperoni and ham toppings that come from pork producers that don’t use gestation crates to confine breeding pigs.

The HSUS asked the Supreme Court to reject a meat industry lawsuit seeking to overturn a California law that prohibits slaughterhouses, stockyards, auctions or dealers from buying, selling or receiving animals too disabled to walk and prohibits slaughterhouses from killing or processing these “downed” animals.

In the film “Contagion,” opening in theaters September 9, a global pandemic is born when humans come into contact with an infected, slaughtered pig. Michael Greger, M.D., HSUS director of public health and animal agriculture, says there’s as much potential fact as fiction in the scenario, but his focus is on how, and where, such a virus is likely to be born.

The HSUS submitted a shareholder resolution asking Hormel Foods to disclose how many breeding pigs are confined in gestation crates for its products, and any progress the company has made moving toward more humane housing methods.

The HSUS assisted the Apache County Sheriff’s Department in the rescue of approximately 200 dogs, 50 cats and several chickens, ducks and pigs who were found living in deplorable conditions in Witch Wells, Arizona.

The HSUS proudly announces that Christianity Today is the winner of the first Genesis Outstanding Written Word Award dedicated to journalistic excellence on animal protection issues in faith-based publications. The award was given during the 25th Anniversary Genesis Awards weekend celebration.